Lésions cervicales utérines pendant la grossesse : diagnostic et prise en charge

OBJECTIVES

To define a practical attitude for the management of pregnant women with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Review of the literature indexed in Medline.

RESULTS

The prevalence of the HPV infections is unchanged among pregnant women with infection by low risk viruses. The viral load increases at the time of the pregnancy, and decreases in the post-partum period. Cervical cytology is easily to perform with reliable results: among the 5% of pathological cervical smears, low grade lesions predominate. The high grade smears require colposcopic exploration, usefully completed by directed biopsies to rule out invasive lesions. Surveillance of high grade CIN is required during pregnancy with post-partum control; most regress. In France during the year 2000, 189 cancers of the uterine cervix were detected during 774.782 pregnancies. Clinical diagnosis is delayed by the non specific clinical signs and the histological aspects of the lesions which are identical with those observed in young woman. The intrinsic outcome of cancer is not modified by pregnancy, and the cesarean section is often preferred (vaginal delivery likely facilitates vascular dissemination). For fetal reasons, a therapeutic delay can be proposed for small sized lesions with a favourable histological subtype and no progression after 20 weeks of gestation.

CONCLUSION

Pregnancy offers the opportunity to perform cervical smears in women not regularly followed. A conservative attitude with a revaluation in postpartum can be proposed in the event of diagnosis of CIN during pregnancy. Pregnancy has little influence on invasive cervical cancers. Management decisions must be made on a case-by-case basis.

Mise en place de la prise en charge des macrobiopsies stéréotaxiques mammaires : évaluation sur 100 patientes

PURPOSE

The authors describe and evaluate the management system for patients requiring large core vacuum-assisted biopsies at a dedicated breast center. This process includes mandatory review of all requests by a multidisciplinary team.

MATERIAL

and method. Patients were provided questionnaires to evaluate their degree of satisfaction with the management process. Results from biopsy and surgery were retrospectively reviewed.

RESULTS

From the 100 patients included in the study (106 macrobiopsies), 95,28% of biopsies were informative. The degree of correlation between the histological diagnosis from biopsy and surgery was 86,95% for the 46 operated cases. The degree of acceptability by patients as well as medical and non-medical staff was satisfactory.

CONCLUSION

The original feature of this process is the retrospective review of all charts after the histological results becomes available for final validation of the biopsy results and management. The results of the biopsy and the post biopsy management are provided by the initial referring physician, allowing optimal patient care and follow-up.

HLA-G protein expression is not induced during malignant transformation

To evaluate the biological relevance of HLA-G expression during tumoral transformation, we analyzed its expression in different malignant cells and immune effector cells infiltrating solid tumors. Our analysis of 33 tumor cell lines and 53 tumoral biopsies demonstrated that: i) six tumor cell lines display HLA-G transcription with differential alternative splicing patterns and only Jeg3 choriocarcinoma and MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cell lines express HLA-G translated products; and ii) HLA-G antigens are not expressed in malignantly transformed cells derived from lung (n=18), liver (n=5), colon (n=5), breast (n=10), kidney (n=5), ovary (n=5), and larynx (n=5) tissues ex vivo. The healthy tissues surrounding these tumor tissues do not express HLA-G molecules either. On the other hand, surprisingly, HLA-G products were detected in activated macrophages and dendritic cells localized in tumoral biopsies of 5 out of 18 different lung carcinomas. No HLA-G labelling was observed in resident mononuclear phagocytes of surrounding healthy tissues. Our observations clearly demonstrate that HLA-G is not a marker of malignant cells but appears as a gene expressed in tumor-associated macrophages and dendritic cells, preferentially in those recruited in lung carcinomas. Our findings suggest that specific environmental factors around lung tumors could be involved in the induction of HLA-G protein expression.

Prognostic factors of the uterine cervix adenocarcinoma

BACKGROUND

Prognosis factors for adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix after primary treatment are poorly established.

METHODS

A retrospective study of 45 cases of adenocarcinoma of the cervix with a follow-up of 96 months on average was performed. The primary treatment consisted in combined radical surgery and radiotherapy for stage I-II patients while patients with advanced disease were treated by radiotherapy. In case of poor prognosis factors, they were given chemotherapy. Survival rates were established and prognosis factors influencing survival and recurrences were studied.

RESULTS

Fifteen women remained alive without evolutive disease. FIGO stage and pelvic node involvement were the most important parameters influencing overall survival. Local failures (27%, average period of 30 months) were unpredictable and led to a dramatic outcome. Histological grade and pelvic node status were significant predictive factors for metastatic recurrence (40%, average period of 29 months).

CONCLUSIONS

Local recurrence and metastatic dissemination of cervical adenocarcinoma after primary treatment prove to be rapidly fatal although life expectancy can be prolonged with adjuvant treatment of the recurrence. In the event of aggressive tumors with high histological grade and pelvic node involvement, an attempt to assess adjuvant systemic chemotherapy could be useful.

The gastrointestinal polyamine source depletion enhances DFMO induced polyamine depletion in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in vivo

Due to the polyamine requirement for cell growth, blockade of polyamine biosynthesis is considered a potential anticancer target. The lack of efficacy of DFMO in vivo, has been attributed to other sources of polyamines, mainly from the gastrointestinal tract (alimentary and bacterial). An experiment was designed to test the role of intestinal polyamine deletion in addition to DFMO (a specific inhibitor of ODC) in established MCF-7 tumors in nude mice. Using DFMO and polyamine-free diet, the tumor putrescine concentrations were more profoundly decreased in comparison to DFMO alone and cellular spermine was also depleted, as has never been observed with DFMO alone. The blockade of the gastrointestinal sources of polyamines enhances the intracellular polyamine depletion induced by DFMO on MCF-7 tumor in nude mice.

[CIN and pregnancy. Apropos of 16 cases and review of the literature]

AIM

To assess the means to diagnose grade 3 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN 3) during pregnancy, with special consideration to the risk of overlooking invasive lesions.

STUDY DESIGN

a retrospective study on 16 cases of CIN 3 over 4 years and a literature review.

RESULTS

Smear tests were indicative of low-grade lesions in 8 cases. Colposcopy always was suggestive and accompanied by biopsy. No conisations were performed during pregnancy but one was performed after delivery in 15 of 16 cases. After delivery, comparing conisation results with those of recent biopsies revealed that some lesions were less severe and others more severe than during pregnancy. So, a CIN 3 and a microinvasive carcinoma observed during pregnancy changed into CIN 2 and CIN 3, respectively, after delivery. In contrast, two pregnancy CIN 2 were seen as CIN 3 in post-partum and three CIN 3 as MIC. Such variations have been described in the literature and have several causes. In particular, improvements may sometimes reach "normalisation" in post partum although, recurrences remain possible.

CONCLUSIONS

when the smear tests performed during pregnancy are indicative of cervical intra-epithalial lesions, whatever the severity, colposcopy with biopsies are mandatory. If a CIN 3 is detected, early MIC should be removed, which may require specific treatment according to the invasive degree. Colposcopy with guided biopsies is a safe and reliable diagnostic means. After delivery, the cervix should always be reexamined, preferably by conisation, even if smears or colposcopy were normal.

Immunohistochemical study of 100 pancreatic tumors in 28 patients with multiple endocrine neoplasia, type I

One hundred pancreatic tumors ranging in size from 0.3 to 7 cm were studied in 28 patients (17 male and 11 female patients; mean age 35 years) with multiple endocrine neoplasia, type I. An immunohistochemical study was performed on deparaffinized sections using the following antibodies: neuron-specific enolase, chromogranin A or synaptophysin, insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide (PP), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), gastrin, adrenocorticotropic hormone, alpha-subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin, gonadotropin-releasing factor, serotonin, and calcitonin. Among the 100 tumors (all multiple), seven were unclassified, 10 were plurihormonal, and 83 produced a predominant hormonal secretion (with 50-90% of the same cell type), including 37 "A-cell tumors" (glucagon), 27 "B-cell tumors" (insulin), 11 PP-cell tumors, one G-cell tumor (gastrin) and one vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP)-cell tumor. These multiple tumors had a different predominant hormonal secretion in the same patient in 23 of the 28 cases. There was a preferential association of A-cell tumor and B-cell tumor. Hyperplasia of the islets of Langerhans was not detected in adjacent pancreas. Nesidioblastosis was observed in 30% of cases.

Malignant cystosarcomas phyllodes of the breast in adolescent females

The authors report a case of cystosarcoma phyllodes occurring in an adolescent female, thus raising to 19 the number of reported cases. The prognosis of those composite fibro-epithelial tumours is ruled by the malignancy of the connective component: the diagnosis shows no distinctive feature compared with what can be observed in adults. The prognosis (classically better) appears in fact totally similar, justifying the same therapeutic rigour, particularly in the surgical field. A multidisciplinary approach should ensure complete recovery while limiting the harmful effects of the therapy in very young women.